Sunday, 22 August 2010

Help bring Jill Stuart to Singapore!

At a Kose event earlier today, I had the chance to ask the Kose staff if they were intending to introduce the Jill Stuart beauty line in Singapore. In short, the answer was that Kose was still thinking about it because unlike Hong Kong or Taiwan, the market in Singapore is much smaller in comparison. One option that they were considering was to introduce it at DFS in the airport. They were also wondering if it would be better to open a stand-alone store or a counter in a department store. I think that regardless of whether it is a counter in a department store or a stand-alone store, the line will draw in customers in droves even without any advertising or promotion. There is actually quite a lot of pent-up demand in Singapore for Jill Stuart. Almost every time I post about Jill Stuart on the blog, I get queries on how and where to buy it. Currently, most ladies have to either buy from online retailers at exorbitant prices or beg friends to help them purchase from Japan, Hong Kong or Taiwan. If Lunasol, Anna Sui and RMK can do well in Singapore, I really see no reason why Jill Stuart cannot do well here. In fact, Jill Stuart has a big advantage in that there is virtually no other cosmetics brand in Singapore that is similar to Jill Stuart's brand image. From the vintage princessy product packaging to the highly sought-after limited edition items and accessories, Jill Stuart will truly stand out in the market here. If you would like to see Jill Stuart in Singapore, please vote in the two polls that I've just set up at the right hand column and also leave a comment on this post. The polls will be open for a week, after which I will forward the results and the comments to Kose. Thanks in advance for participating!

44 comments:

You're absolutely right and it only takes a brief google search to see how many local ladies are waiting for Jill Stuart to finally break into the local market. Just the relevant forum on Cozycot alone is dozens of pages long!

In fact, the only reason that Singaporean ladies may be reluctant to purchase from the counters (favouring, say, a spree) is that they're exorbitantly marked-up. However, generally higher prices are to be expected and I'm sure most of us are quite resigned to it anyway.

Haha, the Kose team should just bite the bullet and bring it in already! Thanks for letting us voice our opinions Iris!

I first learnt about Jill Stuart about 5 to 6 years back and till today, I'm still an avid fan! I've been buying them from online blogshops or stocking them up in hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars each time I go Japan. It's about time we girls have the luxury of having Jill Stuart in SG!

I am also a huge fan of Jill Stuart! I find their eye shadow palettes really unique and other brands seldom have similar colour combinations... So I bought lots of JS products from my last trip to Macau and Hong Kong and fell in love with their lip luster. really like the glass like glossy look. But then I got a bit hesitant to try the jelly lip glass cos I m concerned about the colour intensity. Don't like gloss that is only glossy but little colour. How does the lip glass compare to the lip luster?

I would not buy it locally if it is exhorbitantly marked up. But if its not too much and I can see testers before purchase, why not?

I can accept the mark up like Coffret D'or or Esprique Precious stuff at Sg counters. I also found that Paul & Joe can be cheaper in Sg than in HK or Taiwan. I'm sure there is demand here for Jill Stuart products.

it will be great to have Jill Stuart here on our island. What is Kose waiting for????

The only concern I would have is the price. As long as the price stays competitive like other brands, I wouldn't mind paying for it here in Singapore. But they shouldn't mark it up like those Korean brands and expect us to pay like a fool. After all, a lot of us travel to other regions or have foreign correspondants" to help us shop in Jp, Tw or Hk.

Let's hope Kose will finally realize that despite our small population, we girls here aware of new makeup brands out there and are willing to spend as much as other gals in the regions.

Kose shouldn't hesitate in bringing Jill Stuart in! That said, should they okay the move, the prices should be comparable to JS in HK and Taiwan and not too exorbitantly marked up. Shopping at JS is like having fun dressing up in your own boudoir. I don't see why our local girls wouldn't be attracted by that!

With regards to prices, I do believe JS products in TW and HK are cheaper than jp. Would advise kose to price it closer to the tw/hk price rather than the jp price or else ppl will still get their fix from overseas. Ultimately, a lower price point would help to sustain long term business.

KOSE, please bring it in. Even if it's just one lone counter in singapore (though i'd prefer not DFS cos not everyone flies often). The amount of money we've spent on JS through online sellers over the years is significant revenue loss for Kose. Come on, bring one little counter to test the market. I'm sure we will be spending loads at the counter instead of online.

I have fondly followed your blog for years and will always thank you for introducing Japanese makeup to my life~ Jill Stuart is the very epitome of "Princessy", and I beg/cajole/threaten any friends who travelled to Japan/Taiwan/Hong Kong to bring me stuff from Jill Stuart every season~ I totally welcome this fantastic brand to Singapore cosmetics scene~ Thanks Iris!

Agree that Kose should bring Jill Stuart in! It's market position should indeed fill a gap in the beauty market here. However, they do need to ensure that prices remain competitive as it is available in countries relatively nearby. Singapore gets many international tourists/businessmen; what are they waiting for!Communication by SA/BA in english can help their sales here.

Hi Iristhnks for this post and for starting the polls :) Kose should bring Jill Stuart in! Last year I actually got my first Jill Stuart stuff when my male Boss helped me buy them when he was in Japan for a business trip, haha... I also managed to get some of the skincare from a HK based online store at very much marked up prices so YES YES YES to Kose to bring Jill Stuart to Singapore PLEASE!!!! :)

Thank you for organising this poll! Although I only found out about the brand recently, I am already a fan of JS products. Super love the packaging, floral scent and the colour combinations. Even my girlfriends who are not into makeup coo over them.

Right now I ordered all my JS products online, and that means there's a need to wait a week before I get to feel them! I really hope Kose will bring JS in. So long the price stays competitive to the other brands, it will do well :)

Yes!!! but not in DFS pls... had always wanted Jill Stuart "Angel Rocker" collection and Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compacts but can't get them in Singapore.. It will be better if they can set up a counter at Isetan, Tangs etc to test the response first. Moreover we can also enjoy the rebates!!!

ALthough I don't stay in Singapore but I will be happier if JS is available in Singapore... I have to travel to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan for JS products which really troublesome... At least Singapore is much nearer to me...

I'm from Malaysia and I usually stock up my Jill Stuart at HK.It'll be great if Jill Stuart set a counter at S'pore.I might fly to S'pore to stock up them which is more convenience and hence I might able to get my limited edition set.Support Jill Stuart!

I first know about JS when I was in Tokyo.. and i love their eyeshadow palettes . Very sheer colours, and good colour combinations. These days, i ''beg'' friends who are travelling to to HK to buy them.. and even shopping at a JS counter is a wonderful experience :)

I really hope Kose will bring them in. I believe Sg market is ready for them. I remember a couple of years back RMK tried to break into Sg market but pulled out. Now they re-enter Sg market and they are doing very well.

JS is my must buy everytime i travel to TW, HK or Japan. But it's true that even with Benefit or Kate hitting our shores I'd still buy them in the above 3 countries or online due to the cost of the item in SG.

Definately agree that Jill Stuart should faster launch their products in SPORE!! I fell in love with it when i saw this brand in JAP... haul quite alot when i first saw... how wish we have the chance to get those limited edition stuffs at the counters in spore... Im sure gals in spore will fell in love with this beautiful brand...

Kose should quickly launched Jill Stuart in Singapore. I was pretty impressed by the counter design in Japan, and that spurred me to buy a few of their items. I am sure Jill Stuart in Singapore will do equally well compared to HK and TW!

Oh My! You are getting us so excited! Can't wait to see their pretty counter and princessy packaging. Most of our make up counters are so boring and even look alike. It doesn't excite us (the girls) to make purchases.

Kose should try opening it, if not, they will never find out the keeness in us. Probably, JS fans from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand would flock here like we did for Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

I think opening a counter in Singapore will also be beneficial for JS fans in Malaysia. 1 counter serving 2 geographical markets, why not? There's no need to bring 10 counters at one go. Just 1 to test the market. I believe Singapore market is ready for it. There isn't any makeup brand that's packaged and marketed like JS.

To truly test the SG market, open a counter in downtown area. There's where the highest flow of people are. Opening it in Duty Free = only for Singaporeans who travel. Or Kose could adopt the limited sale approach to test the market like Dolly Wink. Just suggesting.

Hi, i see there is spree on this www.cosmeticspree.blogspot.com that is on jill stuart. Can try to see it..I like your post about the Jill stuart compact blush. I want one!! the limited edition, gold illuminance series caught my eyes...